Man found dead after Bellingham police standoff

A seven-hour police standoff at a Bellingham apartment ended Tuesday when a man was found dead, apparently of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Officers went to the apartment Tuesday morning after a shot that was fired inside went into a neighboring apartment. A woman resident was unhurt. Neighbors evacuated.

The Bellingham Herald reports the man refused to talk with police. They fired tear gas into the apartment and sent in robots. At one point a SWAT team with a police dog found the man in the closet, but they backed out for safety and continued to try to talk him into surrendering.

When they re-entered the apartment Tuesday afternoon they found him dead in the closet.